Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on Today’s Omnibus Vote
Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed an omnibus government funding bill. Rep. Ruben Gallego voted against the bill.
Rep. Gallego issued the following statement:
"The omnibus bill was billed as a compromise, but in reality was packed with Republican policy provisions that only compromise our values. The omnibus should be about funding the government – not about pushing through policies that could not pass on their own.
"Among the legislation's many serious shortcomings is its failure to address the mounting fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico. The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens who vote in our elections, swear allegiance to our flag and fight and die in our wars. Yet, at a time when massive bills are coming due this Congress has turned its back on the Puerto Rican people, even though including a provision in the omnibus to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debts wouldn't cost the American taxpayer a penny.
"The omnibus will undermine our efforts to address climate change by lifting an oil export ban that will increase our reliance on fossil fuels. Less than a week after reaching a historic climate change pact in Paris, Republicans want to undo the progress made by giving Big Oil a major victory.
"The omnibus will also block critical efforts to improve the transparency of our elections. For example, it includes a misguided rider that will prevent the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from instituting rules to ensure that shareholders know how corporate funds are being used to influence politicians and political campaigns. Instead of fighting for fairness and openness in our elections, Republicans used the 2,000 page spending bill to limit disclosures and preserve the power of rich special interests.
"The omnibus bill fell seriously short of expectations. A vote to support the bill would have been a vote to support bad policy."
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